Q: My great-aunt wants to give me some of her good antiques, pieces she has mostly collected in Europe. I've always been in awe of her home and its beautiful items. But we have three children, all under 10, plus a dog and cat.

Would it be awful to accept a few pieces and keep them in storage until the children are older?

A: Worse than awful! It would be a great waste and a missed opportunity to teach your children about history and the joys of living with beautiful things.

I'm quoting Mary Helen McCoy, Charleston, S.C., decorator and antiques dealer (www.maryhelenmccoy.com), who firmly believes that antiques fit right into today's lifestyle.

"Some of these things are 200 years old or more," she points out. "They have already survived wars, floods and lots of children."

The dealer urges parents to take children to see the antiques in museums. "You can teach history through furniture," McCoy believes. Make children appreciate the value of beautiful old things.

Practicing what she teaches, McCoy, who is one of only 15 U.S. members of the prestigious Syndicat National des Antiquaires, has filled her own Charleston home with antiques that are actually older than the house itself. It was built in the 1950s, and some of her furniture dates to the early 1700s. But the antique items coexist comfortably with 21st-century amenities, such as the TV concealed in the 1770 French armoire from Bresse.

Older pieces are often scaled just right for small modern rooms, McCoy says. Moreover, antiques add character and personality like the pair of bronze German oil lamps she had converted to electricity. "Not the usual thing," she says.

Ditto for the exquisite handcrafting of the past — time can add patina to a piece of furniture.

"Old wood glows," says McCoy. "It's warm and rich."

And worth seeking out. "Don't be in such a hurry to furnish your home," the expert advises. "Better to find one piece at a time and cherish it."

In your case, you may inherit a windfall of antiques to cherish, at least for a while.

"We just take turns being stewards of these fine works of art," adds McCoy.

Q: OK, what's the straight skinny on how to buy good sheets? I'm getting married in two months and am baffled about all the talk of "thread counts."

A: Frankly, I was also confused until I had lunch with Fabrizio Biasiolo, vice president of the century-old Italian maker of luxe custom linens, Casa del Bianco. A former executive with Frette, another famous name in Italian linens, Fabrizio knows sheets like the back of his hand — which is how he advises you to test for softness when you are buying your sheets.

"The whole idea of thread count has become overblown ... it's not true that the higher the number of threads, the better," Biasiolo says.

What counts is the softness you feel with the back of your hand.

"Sheets have to be light in weight and 'breathe' to be comfortable," he points out.

What's ideal — and what's on the beds of most luxury hotels — are sheets made of 100 percent Egyptian cotton, 200 threat count in a percale construction (as opposed to a sateen construction, which he says is heavier and more expensive).

"There are plenty of people sleeping on 1,000-thread-count sheets unaware that they are really sleeping on tablecloths!" adds Biasiolo.

For more info on Casa del Bianco, "the House of White," visit www.casadelbianco.com.

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Hampton Style" and associate editor of Country Decorating Ideas. To find out more about Rose Bennett Gilbert and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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